Nursing brassieres



Feb. 23, 1960 w. ROSENTHAL mmsmc BRASSIERES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 29, 1957 'Feb. 23, 1960 w. ROSENTHAL 2,925,816

7 NURSING BRASSIERES Filed Oct. 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent NURSING BRASSIERES 7 William Rosenthal, Bayville, N.Y.

Application October 29, 1957, Serial No. 693,120

1 Claim. (Cl. 128-461) The invention relates to improvements in the construction of brassieres and has particular reference to a brassiere adapted and arranged for the use of nursing mothers.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a nursing brassiere which is made with an outer breast covering portion, as to each cup, composed of a suitable fabric material and with an inner cup assembly providing special means for detachably supporting an inner breast contacting member of soft absorbent material, which protects the outer breast covering portions, or other outer garments, and which is disposable. This absorbent and disposable member is of special form, readily constructed and inexpensive. In place, the pair of absorbent members for the two cups of the brasiere conform with the latter as to contour, and they may be readily detached from the brassiere, thrown away and replaced with like absorbent members without the necessity of removing the brassiere from the wearer.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view in elevation, partly broken away and partly in dotted line, showing an embodiment of the invention, the view looking toward the outer face of the brassiere.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 looking toward the inner face of the brassiere.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section line 4-4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a suitable form of absorbent member.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66, Fig. 5.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is shown the front face of a brassiere consisting of two lower fabric frame members I, joined by central Wedge-shaped insert 2, which customarily will be elastic. In the embodiment shown, each cup is formed of an upper fabric piece 3 connected to joined fabric pieces 4 by ladder stitching at 5. Each cup top member 3 can be dropped down from the outer point a and the inner point b by detaching it from a hook 6, the hook entering a loop 7 secured to member 3, in each case.

Each cup at its inner face is provided with an inverted U-shaped panel 8 made in two sections seamed together at 9. At its outer margin, panel 8 is secured to back bands 10 and at its inner margin to elastic insert 2,

taken on the ice and the margins of the panel are preferably reinforced by tapes, as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

As shown in Fig. 3 inverted U-shaped panel 8 carries at its top, in each case, a loop 11 which runs through a buckle 12 and thence is connected to hook 6. Buckle 12 adjustably holds, in each case, a shoulder strap 13.

Fig. 2 shows that each lower cup fabric carries a band 14 stitched at each end to the fabric. The band in each case coacts with one panel 8 to hold in position absorbent member 15. Each absorbent member preferably consists of highly absorbent cotton-like cellulose backed by a thin sheet of non-absorbent material 16, Fig. 6, moistureproof cellophane being an example. The absorbent member may be formed with wedge-shaped tuck 16x so as to provide a rounded contour as shown in Fig. 6. In the replacement of the absorbent member, the upper fabric piece 3 of each cup may be detached fro-m its supporting hook 6 and may be dropped down to expose the absorbent member as to each cup. The latter may then be drawn upwardly and outwardly for dispensing, and a fresh absorbent member may be tucked into the cup under the appropriate band 14. Thereupon, the cup fabric piece may be pulled upwardly and again secured to hook 6. Band 14 in each case is shown as seamed at its bottom to frame member 1, but this is a matter of choice, since the band may be carried at its ends only, if desired.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

A nursing brassiere consisting of two spaced cup members formed of fabric, a lateral band seamed to each cup member, the seam rising on and to a point substantially at the apex of the cup member, an arcuate framing strip seamed at one end to the base margin of said band and seamed to and forming an arcuate base of said cup member, a wedge-shaped connecting member between and secured to each of the arcuate frames and the cups carried thereby, an inverted generally U-shaped member for and at the rear face of each cup and secured by seaming at the whole length of its side margin to one of the lateral bands and also seamed to said connectnig wedge-shaped member, said U-shaped member being free inwardly of said seaming areas to provide, with the cup fabric, a U-shaped pocket closed at the outer margin thereof, shoulder strap supporting means for each U- shaped member and including a hook, means at the top of each cup releasably engaging said cup to the hook, a horizontal band member for and secured at its ends to the inner face of each cup, and an absorbent member for each cup and having a moisture-resistant backing layer and a layer of soft, yielding absorbent material, said absorbent member being tucked from its base upwardly to a median point thereof and having a base line of stitching through the tuck, said absorbent member having its lower area held by the appropriate cup horizontal band and having its margins within said U-shaped member, as and for the purpose set forth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Rosenthal Aug. 13, 1957 

